Biohacks to reset the body and mind

Participants listening to Stuchlik as he guided us with his soothing voice. — Photos: AMANI WELLNESS

Earlier this month, I was invited to attend a biohacking workshop, supposedly the first of its kind in Malaysia.

What’s that, you may ask.

Well, like you, I’ve heard the word being loosely thrown around but had no idea what exactly it was.

Biohacking is a term used to describe a do-it-yourself biology, where people attempt to incrementally change aspects of their biology to improve their health, performance, or well-being.

Also known as human enhancement, there are many ways to biohack – from making dietary changes and adding supplements to improve gut bacteria to efforts to improve brain function.

Biohackers start with specific areas that they feel need addressing in their lives such as deeper sleep, nutrition or mental/emotional health or relationships.

Some types of biohacking can be done at home and have been around for many years, such as intermittent fasting where you don’t eat for a period of time each day or week.

However, not everyone gets the same results as you need to find out what works for your body.

So, with an open mind, I braved myself for the experience and walked in.

Our coach was Pavel Stuchlik, a science based holistic wellness practitioner and healer, and former professional road racing cyclist from Czech Republic.

After a series of mental breakdowns and health problems, he quit racing and embarked on a soul-searching quest to reset his system. It led him to many parts of the world and today, he has transformed his body and shares his knowledge to a global audience.

Called the “Core System Reset” immersive workshop, we were told it would change our relationship with stress – both mentally and physically.

He would be guiding us to hack anxiety, rewire thoughts, deepen connection and sleep better – some of the common struggles in modern society.

The aim was to reset our body and mind via breathwork, meditation and audio healing.

Our group eagerly waiting for the biohacking experience to begin.

And we begin

Our motley crew of roughly 20 participants were served a cup of butter coffee (claimed to aid in weight loss and boost metabolism) before a quick briefing of what to expect.

Then we lay down with headphones, eye masks, blankets and pillows – to get us in a relaxed, comfortable state.

There was live music to enhance Stuchlik’s calm voice.

Breathe in deeply, breathe out strongly, repeat for a minute or two, hold your breath.

Let go. We did this for a few cycles and yes, it was intense.

The breathing was in and out of the nose or mouth, and the rhythm was fast.

I tried to keep pace but found the inhaling/exhaling through the mouth challenging as the air-conditioning was cold and my throat started to get dry.

Stuchlik used the Wim Hoff breathing technique, which is known as “controlled hyperventilation” and has been proven by science to enable practitioners to have more resilience and control in everyday life.

Next up was the meditation – we were guided on our thoughts and one part of it involved visualising a dead person and forgiving him/her. Later, some participants reported getting emotional and teary – a release.

A few others, like me, also saw sparkles of colourful lights during this component. I don’t know what it meant.

The audio healing had us listening to theta sound waves, which have a frequency of 4-8Hz and are activated when we are being insightful or creative.

It’s often referred to as the healing wave and indeed, it was healing.

The hour-plus session concluded with us reaching out for the hands of people beside us.

Everyone appeared much calmer after the session.

Based on discussions with other participants, many reported sleeping extremely well that night, feeling refreshed the next day; a few of us had diarrhoea ...

One workshop is not enough to hack the body but it was a good eye-opener on what aspects we needed to work on.

Revathi Murugappan is a certified fitness trainer who tries to battle gravity and continues to dance to express herself artistically and nourish her soul. For more information, email [e-mail]. The information contained in this column is for general educational purposes only. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.